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Unless you are a seasoned web designer, you may dread the thought of having to set up a website for your martial arts club. You either have to figure out how to do it yourself or hire a web designer to do it for you; it may seem like either too much work or too much money. There are many good reasons, however, for having a presence on the web. It is a simple way to build your student numbers and to keep in touch with existing students. Here are five reasons you should set up a website for your club:

1. It’s the First Place People Go
There was a time when only large, established businesses had websites; most small business and indeed sports clubs promotion was still done through ads, brochures, leaflets and posters etc. In today’s world, the Internet is the first place people go when trying to find a little information about local clubs. Almost every successful martial arts club has at least a basic website, where potential students can find out all about the club details and contact information. If you’re not on the web, you are invisible to a large portion of your potential new students and if someone cannot find information about you, they might think you are not a credible school or are not experienced enough as an individual and there is a great possibility you will lose a potential student.

2. Projects Your Clubs Image
Your relationship with your students is one of trust. To feel comfortable enough to come to your classes to try you out the potential students want to know how you operate and what services you offer. Viewing a website is a non-confrontational way for them to get a feel for who you are and what your club can do for them. They can read about other happy students and about your philosophies on martial arts training or see club achievements; it’s an important way for them to get to know you and your club.

3. Makes Comparison with Other Local Clubs Easier
Potential students often look at multiple clubs and even martial arts styles, in order to choose the one which is most closely aligned with their needs. The easiest way for a person to do that is by comparing different clubs’ websites. If you don’t have one at all, you are at a disadvantage from the beginning. Having a site with basic brochure-style information on it is better than nothing, but, if you have a vibrant welcoming site with pictures of happy students, helpful information, articles and easy contact information, you are more likely to catch the eye of a new student.

4. Sense of Community
A website is a great place to keep your current students engaged with the club. Use your site to display club photographs, lists of student’s achievements, articles on philosophies, schedule of upcoming events etc. Keep the content fresh and up to date and your students will visit often to keep up to date with club information. Having students visit the site should help with the website ranking in search engines and you could also allow comments and testimonials to be left by your students. All of this will look good to a potential student that stumbles upon your site and sees the great community spirit that the students of your club have.

5. Potential New Students Can Find You

Your website is a 24/7 online advertisement for your club. While some potential students will already know your name before they look you up, some will search for local clubs on the internet to see what is available. If someone does a search in Google or another search engine, finds your website and is intrigued by your site and its content, then there is a great possibility you will receive at least an enquiry from just having this online advertisement on the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with minimal overhead. An experienced web designer understands how to make your site prominent in online search results and it is well-worth the investment to hire one. Ranking high in search results also gives your club an established look.

The Bottom Line
Having a strong web presence is no longer an option for your Martial Arts Club; it is as important and as basic as putting out posters. Your website stands in for you and represents you to both students and potential new students.

To read on about how to create the website for your martial arts club click here.